Happy Never After
by RjBeckett
Summary: Post Always... New take to the post love bliss scene... AU set s5 opening scene :
1. Chapter 1

okay i know everyone has jumped on the bandwagon of doing post always fics... and now i am... but damn we can't help it.. it was THAT good :D anyhow, i tried doing something a little different, I do have an idea of where this is going... please comment and let me know what you think :D

disclaimer: castle and its awesomeness isn't mine.. cry / i was heatrises .net/u/2853119/HeatRises on here but couldn't remember my login so made a new account instead ha :) ENJOY

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Dull aches awaken her from the lovely memories of the night before; where she was more than she ever knew she could be. All his. In his arms, she was forever in his debt, for loving her, for wanting her, the damaged girl.

The light was harsh against her eyes, it took some time to adjust, to not only the light, but the surrounding room. She wasn't used to awakening in his room, but here she was, in his room, his bed. Yet where was he?

Kate felt around, but only felt the cold sheets. A sharp contrast to the warmth of them a few hours before. Kate turns, not trusting her touch, needing to see. Where is he? A pang of hurt rushes to the forefront of her never-ending doubts; did he regret last night, was he hiding, in his own house?

Kate reluctantly slides from the comfy bed, wrapping herself in the warm, silky sheets. As she makes her way towards the door she pauses. There is some clothes on the chair in the corner. On closer inspection, Kate sees a piece of paper folded on top of them.

Tentatively she picks it up; unfolding it she sees his writing.

"Kate, I hope these clothes suffice; you're clothes are in the dryer still, they were really wet ;) I'm making breakfast, I'm sure you're hungry; we sure did build up an appetite last night ;)

Yours, always Rick x"

Kate can't stop the radiating smile from emerging on her face; all her feelings were bare, all for him to see now. No more hiding. Kate gently places the letter back upon his clothes, a cozy blue shirt and sweats. She decides against wearing the clothes, opting to walk out in the bed sheet instead, she couldn't wait to see his face when he saw her.

Her mouth begins to water at the smell of bacon and pancakes, and coffee. Oh if she didn't love him already, she sure would've fallen for him this morning!

"Rick? I sure hope you don't mind my opting against your choice of attire this morning." Kate saunters towards the kitchen, an extra sway to her hips, just for him.

"Castle?" Slightly alarmed now, Kate notices the bacon burning, which she removes from the stove. Where was he?

Kate spins around, he must be here somewhere, she must have missed him. Or he's planning a sneak attack upon her, and she must be on alert. Ready to take him.

Her eyes are drawn to the door, and her heart begins to pound, for all the wrong reasons.

Blood.

The door half way open, and a bloody handprint smeared across it. A sinking feeling fills her stomach, kicking away the butterflies. No time for reminiscing. Castle was gone. He'd been taken, and it was all her fault. She'd slept through it all, even after she'd brought them to his door step. She'd failed him, again.

No more. Kate grabs the house phone and dials the all too familiar number.

"I need your help. It's Castle. They've took him." Kate ends the call, collapsing onto the side of the couch, finally allowing the tears to fall. It wasn't over like she had thought. It had only just begun.

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very short taster... want more.. hit that review button!


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I wasn't prepared for the number of emails in my account when I checked it this morning! Thank you all for the alerts, _**favourites** _and reviews.

ruby , RiverBoudica,thecatchisdeadliest , Castlelover222 ,Eimear Chiara,readandreview , my first 6 reviewers a massive THANK YOU! I will hopefully continue to see your support as I continue this fic :)

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He wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted him upon his arrival to Castle's place. First the door open and the blood smear showing obvious signs of a struggle and that something bad had happened here. That he could deal with, he'd seen worse on the job, the broken woman in tears he'd seen before, but not like this.

Kate hadn't moved from her spot on the couch, she was still wrapped in the bed sheet that smelled of him, of them, of their night, and morning together. She knew if she moved it would all become real, if she went back to being Beckett, she'd have to face the reality that he'd gone.

"Beckett? Kate? What happened, what's going on?" Esposito couldn't ignore the sight of her in Castle's bed sheet, but now definitely wasn't the time to get embarrassed, he'd seen women in less, and even though this was Beckett he had to ignore that and treat this like any other crime scene. Castle wasn't here; he needed to focus on that, on finding him.

"He's gone Espo. They took him." The sound of Kate's voice is foreign not only to Esposito's ears, but her own. She sounded like the wife of a murdered husband. Was that what true despair sounded like?

"Are you sure it was them. Nobody else that could've took him?" Esposito speaks calmly, although it does nothing to keep Kate that way. That old fire reignites in her eyes.

"Who Espo? Who else have we been chasing that could pull something like this of?" Kate clutches the bed sheet closer to her. She looks at her attire and at Esposito and feels somewhat stupid for not having changed. Esposito notices Kate's obvious discomfort now and looks away as she stands, clutching the sheet closer.

"We've worked a lot of cases Kate. We've pissed of a lot of people. But you and Castle, the _dynamic duo_, you've pissed off a lot more. And Kate." Kate locks eyes with Esposito as he says this last part. "It's not their style to take people Kate. Take them out yeah, but not this. And not Castle. They're after you, and they want _you_ dead Kate. Taking Castle leaves too much of a trail."

Kate couldn't ignore that he was right, it wasn't their style, but if it wasn't them, who was it? Kate nods her head telling Esposito that she had heard him then turns and heads into the office, towards the bedroom. It was time to get real.

Real could wait a moment, damn it could wait five minutes. As she entered the threshold of his room, the memories came rushing back. So vivid, she closed her eyes.

The warmth of his touch running down her arm, his breath spreading across her neck, sending shivers down her spine_._

Her fingers reach out and she strokes the cabinet next to the door, looks at the chaos still on top and on the floor; smiles at the memory of them crashing into it, how their laughter filled the room, and how it was soon silenced by their fervent kisses. How they fell onto the bed, a tangle of limbs, causing more laughter. Kate wipes at the tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks.

Kate squeezes her eyes shut. She pushes away the memories; puts them in a special box, safe for her to reopen at a later date. When he was back, when they could cherish the moments _together_, and not think of their time together and cry because it caused pain. She couldn't think of their time together like that, she didn't want to hurt because their time together was beautiful, full of love and laughter, all them, it should be remembered for what it was. She wouldn't ruin that memory, so she hid it; put it away in one of her customized boxes to save for a time when it didn't hurt anymore.

_Beckett_ was back. That was his first thought when he saw her emerge in sweats that were too big and a shirt that was his, her hair tied back into a messy bun, and that fire was still alive in her eyes. He began to realize it wouldn't ease till Castle came back, and he would, they _had_ to find him. Esposito couldn't think about the consequences of Castle not returning, they weren't pretty.

Kate pauses as she enters, pushing a lose strand of hair behind her ear, gathering her thoughts.

"I need to call Alexis, call Martha. They need to be here. Oh god, how am I going to tell them? Tell Alexis, I'm going to ruin her graduation." Esposito is in front of her in an instant, holding her shoulders and making her look at him.

"You've made that call a thousand times." Kate cuts him off, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I haven't. I haven't made this call Espo. I can't." Esposito swallows a lump in his throat; he had to be strong here.

"You have Kate; we've made the calls that have torn families apart. The difference here though, you're not alone, they're not alone and we have hope. But you need to make that call Kate. You do, and you have to do it now before they come home and dread fills them at the sight of that door."

Kate nods; she gives Esposito a pat on the arm as she picks up the house phone.

Esposito pulls out his own phone and hits speed dial, he needed some back up here as he listened to Kate on the phone, and the tears being forced back.

"Hey, Alexis, it's Kate. There's no easy way of saying this, so I'm just going to say it…" She couldn't say it, couldn't tell her, not over the phone. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there, at your graduation, I'm sorry I've added so much worry to your life." That's it she had her opening she had to tell her, she couldn't back out. "I'm sorry that I'm going to ruin your night." Kate pauses, closing her eyes; she could hear the erratic breathing on the other end and knew she'd done nothing to make this call easier. "I need you to come home Alexis. I need you to be that amazing, put together, strong woman you're becoming…"

Kate ends the call, cradling the phone to her chest a moment. Alexis was coming home. She'd told her, and she sounded ready, as ready as you ever could be when you've just been told that your father had gone missing, that the woman who had caused your father so much pain, had put him in another bad situation.

Kate returns the phone to the holder. Alexis had said she would call her grams. Kate knew she should have refused, told the girl that she would make the call, but she couldn't. The call to Alexis had been so difficult and Alexis had sounded so determined on the phone, she would make a better job of telling Martha than she had of telling Alexis. Great, just another thing to add to the pile of things Alexis should hate her for. How had this morning turned out so bad? She just prayed that wherever Castle was that he was safe, and knew she was coming for him.

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Well? All comments are appreciated let me know if you want that next update, it's almost ready to upload :)


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the continued alerts and even though reviews have dropped your still favourting and alerting, if you can drop a line or too in a review that would be great too :)

readandreview: I had those same issues at first, I must have rewrote that beginning ten time, but still came back to the one I published. We've seen a whole knew side of Kate, like on the swings, where she was sat in the rain, and walking in it for god knows how long. With the scene I wrote, I wanted Kate to be in a battle of sorts, with wanting to be this new woman, who isn't a cop, who is in love with Castle, and then having to revert back to being the cop, going back to the person she was. I think that's going to be Kate's struggle next season, how she becomes the person she wants to be, but still be a cop.. because we all know Beckett's not leaving the 12th... What's Castle if Beckett's not on the force? So I look forward to seeing that play out, and in the meantime, having a little fun of my own playing with what could happen :) I hope you and everyone else continue to enjoy this :)

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It had been a tense 15 minutes, both Esposito and Kate not talking, both staring at their phones waiting for some news.

"God, I hate this. Waiting around. I need to be doing something." Kate sighs frustrated, she runs a hand across her face.

"Oh my God, Kate!" Kate turns at the sound of the all too familiar voice. She walks closer to the sounds, needing comfort in its owner.

"Javier called. I'll do whatever I can. Damn it girl, why didn't you call me!" Kate seeks comfort in the arms of her best friend, in Lanie, her constant advisor; she would help her in her time of need.

"Oh Lanie, this is so messed up. Not at all how this morning should have gone."

"Speaking of this morning I wanna know what happened last night, but that can wait for later. Let me see what I can do." Lanie pulls away from Kate she looks at Esposito. "I brought my kit like you asked; I'll take a sample and see if it's a match."

Only now Kate notices the case Lanie had brought with her, she opens it and starts taking samples of the blood on the door.

"Have you rang Ryan? He could check security we could see who came, and what time Castle left, and who with." Kate turns to Esposito asking him, he looks down, not meeting her eyes.

"We don't need him Kate. He'll only tell Gates and get whatever leads we have cut. No, if we do this, it's us three, and we do this without him." Esposito says with venom in his voice and total betrayal overtaking his thought process.

"Damn it Espo. You need to sort whatever is going on with you and Ryan. I know what he did sucks, but he saved my life, probably both our lives, and I can't hate him for that. I need my team, if we're doing this; I need all the help and support I can get. Castle, he's gone, I'm already off my game. I need, I need my friends Espo. That includes Ryan. So you call him, you tell him I need him to check the security cameras in this building. Castle would've gone sometime between 4 and 8, that's a 4 hour window. That's when I was asleep, so that's when he went. So you tell Ryan to check the damn video!" Beckett was back, and Esposito was feeling her wrath, he didn't want to make it any worse, so he pulled out his phone and made a show of waving it in front of Kate's face, to which she just rolled her eyes annoyed.

"It's Esposito. I need your help."

"Yeah, whatever, I'll do whatever Espo, whatever you need. I'm so sorry man." The sincerity in Ryan's voice is ignored.

"Yeah well I don't wanna take you away from Gate's maniced."

"You mean manicure? I'm not doing her nails Espo. I did what I did to save Kate; you both were just too stubborn to see the risks that were in front of you. I'm not going to apologize for saving the life of my friends, my partner."

"Partner. You ratted me out Kevin. Me and Kate. To Gates! We got suspended because of you. Kate resigned. You could've gotten us swat or back up without involving her, but no you looked after your own back. Damn it Kevin!" Esposito takes a deep breath pulling the phone from his ear, he ignores the looks Kate and Lanie are giving him, he can't deal with them now too. Silence on the other end, Kevin has nothing to say to that, or if he did he's keeping it to himself.

"Whatever man. We need to forget what happened for now and work together. I need you. We need you, and right now, I need to know that you won't tell Gates what's happening. Castle's life depends on it." Esposito fills the silence.

"Castle? What's going on Javier?" Ryan asks concerned.

"Castle's gone. Someone took him, and we need to know who. So we need you to check the security cameras on his building, see if you can see who came and left with Castle, if he was okay."

"I'll do it. Gates won't know a thing. Is Kate. Is Beckett okay?" Esposito looks at Kate, who looks at him tensely.

"She's Beckett. We need you to check the cameras, let us know when you find something."

Kate and Esposito share a look, a look of gratitude, Kate knows Javier is hurting, he feels his partner betrayed him, betrayed them. So she appreciates what it took for him to call Ryan, to trust him with this situation.

"Girl, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna take these samples to the lab, and I'm gonna run DNA. Castle gave a sample a few months back, so he's in the system, I'll check it, and I'll come back here with the results. You stay here, you wait for Alexis okay. Call me, if you need anything. You got it?" Lanie begins to pack away her kit; she looks to Kate, who looks so small, standing there in Castle's clothes. Lanie's heart aches for her, this shouldn't have been their morning, after their first time together, it should've been bliss, filled with breakfast and, more sex. Not this.

Lanie walks towards Kate and pulls her in for a hug; they stay like that for a few minutes before Kate pulls away.

"Go Lanie. I'll be fine, Espo is here, he'll wait with me till we get an update. I'll let you know if anything happens before you come back. Just. Make sure Gates doesn't know what you're working on okay; I can't have you losing your job too. Not for me." Kate admits her fears to Lanie, and Esposito who couldn't help but overhear.

"I'm doing this for you, and for Castle. If Gate's finds out, so be it. I'll gladly give up my job for the safety of my friends. You hear me girl. We're in this together, and we will find him." Another hug good bye, a hug of thanks, of shared appreciation, Kate holds Lanie close for a moment. Taking solace in the fact that her friends are here for her, that's all she needs, in this moment of desperation, knowing her friends have her back.

20 minutes had passed; it had been filled with silence. Both Kate and Esposito watching their phones, waiting for some new information.

"We should be doing something, this sitting around, waiting for someone to tell us what's going on, it's so... Not us." Kate runs a frustrated hand across her face.

"Kate? Oh my god, is that my Dad's blood?" Kate turns to the sound of Alexis entering the house; she makes her way towards the door, towards Alexis and the door she hasn't been able to face yet.

"I don't' know. Lanie's running tests, she's going to find out whose blood it is." Kate approaches a confused and scared Alexis.

"Where's Martha Alexis?" Kate asks as she notices Alexis was alone.

"She was in the Hamptons. She's coming back as quick as she can. I just, I couldn't wait for her, I had to see for myself you know." Alexis looks around the room, her eyes finally falling on Kate, on what she was wearing and all the questions she had before spill from her lips.

"Why are you here Detective Beckett? Why are you wearing my Dad's clothes? Why isn't the house taped off, and where are all the other officers? How long ago did my Dad go missing?" Alexis rattles of all her questions at lightning speed, all her confusion showing.

Kate wasn't sure where to start but she needed to talk soon and answer the girl.

"We're doing all we can at the moment. Lanie's running blood work, checking if it's Castle's or not. Ryan's checking surveillance so we can pinpoint what time Castle went and who with."

"If they're doing that, what are you doing, what were you doing while my Dad was being taken! I thought you were a Detective. How can my Dad be taken right under your nose!" Alexis' voice rises as she vents her hurt at Kate.

"I was asleep!" Kate takes a deep breath, she didn't want to yell at Alexis things were bad enough as it was, shouting at her wasn't going to do her any favours.

"Don't think I'm not beating myself up over this. I know it's my fault! I should've woken up when he first got out of bed." The reason why Kate was here was most certainly answered now. Alexis looks Kate over and notices the hurt and fear in her eyes. Most likely, just like what was reflected in her eyes.

"I don't blame you Detective and you shouldn't blame yourself. If you weren't here, I may not have come home till some time tonight, and we would have lost vital time in finding him." Alexis, a true Castle, looking at the other possibilities.

"It's Kate. I'm not a Detective anymore." Kate explains to Alexis.

"What?" Alexis looks from Kate to Esposito and back to Kate.

"We were on a difficult case and me and Kate made some judgements that were later called into question by our captain. We both got suspended." Esposito tries to explain.

"But if you're suspended how can you work this case?" Alexis asks worriedly.

"I didn't get suspended Alexis, I resigned. I've not called this incident in because someone else will be put in charge of it, and I can't let that happen. No one knows your father better than me and his friends; we're the best team for the job." Kate says with conviction.

"You can't have resigned. I need you to be Detective Beckett. What can you do to save my Dad, if you're not a cop, how can you be the hero if you don't have your powers?" Trust a Castle to throw in a superhero analogy when trying to explain what Kate's job does.

Kate sighs and moves closer to Alexis, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing Alexis to look up at her.

"I'm no hero Alexis, but I'll be damned if I let a badge and regulations prevent me from rescuing your Dad."

"Can't you ask for your job back? Make the Captain put you on this case?" Alexis pleads with Beckett.

"She wouldn't. I have nothing to offer her. She would just put some other Detectives on the case."

"So don't offer her anything, tell her! My Dad is a part of your team and he's friends with the Mayor. If I call him and tell him what happened… Tell him I only want you and your team looking for him; it should be enough to get you on this case right?" Kate looks to Esposito who shrugs, surprised, it could work.

"It worked for Castle senior right? What else can we do Kate? You were just saying how you hated waiting around. Let's do something." Esposito sides with Alexis.

Kate sends Esposito a mini glare but turns to Alexis with a small smile.

"Just this case. You make it clear that I only want to work this case. Once Castle is found my resignation sticks. I'll walk away." Alexis smiles up at Beckett appreciating what she was doing, but then looks at the door and the hand print and realises this is real. Her father has been taken and the one person who can save him can't. Not unless she helps. Alexis never thought she'd be helping Beckett get her job back. She was so sure being a cop meant everything to her. Maybe, just maybe she loved her dad, enough to walk away from everything she's known? If she spent the night, was willing to do all this for her father, maybe she was in this forever too.

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? Let me know if you want more :) thanks for reading x edited.. thanks to Monty 12 for pointing out the error, really should post when I'm drunk haha


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for all the continued support through reviews and alerts/ favourtes still amaze me :) A short update... while I rewrite certain things I changed last minute, hope you continue to like thanks again!

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_previously..._  
_"Just this case. You make it clear that I only want to work this case. Once Castle is found my resignation sticks. I'll walk away." Alexis smiles up at Beckett appreciating what she was doing, but then looks at the door and the hand print and realises this is real. Her father has been taken and the one person who can save him can't. Not unless she helps. Alexis never thought she'd be helping Beckett get her job back. She was so sure being a cop meant everything to her. Maybe, just maybe she loved her dad, enough to walk away from everything she's known? If she spent the night, was willing to do all this for her father, maybe she was in this forever too._

Esposito picks up his phone and answers, it was Ryan calling.

"What have you got Ryan?"

"I've not been able to check it yet. I put it on a disk, and was on my way over to Castle's place when I saw the crime scene." Ryan's says regrettably.

"What? What's going on? Esposito asks confused.

"Its four blocks from Castle's place, I was curious, so I pulled over to check it out. It's Maddox. He's dead... Four blocks from Castle's, you don't think he?"

Esposito sighs, he felt conflicted.

"Castle wouldn't." Esposito sounded sure.

"Yeah, but to protect Kate?" Ryan didn't hold Esposito's confidence.

"No. There must be another reason. We need to see that tape. Who's covering the case?" Esposito's confidence falters.

"Espo! What's going on?" Esposito turns to Kate who was looking at him concerned. "Hold on, Ryan I'm putting you on speaker."

"It's Maddox. I just left the scene to make this call. He's dead. I overheard Perlmutter say he's been dead around 5hours, that he must have been moved. No blood pool and, just the one shot, right in the chest, a .40 caliber. That's karma for you."

Kate takes a deep breath, relieved he was dead, but this news just added more questions to the already complicated situation.

"Who's covering the case?" Kate asks the question Esposito had asked earlier.

"Karpowski, want me to assist?" Ryan asks wanting to do anything to help.

"No, no leave it, they will run his DNA and match it to my shooting like we did, you can't be anywhere near this case Kevin. We need to focus on Castle, so head straight here, don't say a word to anyone." Kate instructs Ryan on what to do.

"Got it! On my way boss." He hangs up before Kate can correct him. Kate is left worrying over the dilemma she now faces. If Maddox was dead, he didn't take Castle, so who did? Did who ever take Castle, kill Maddox too? They needed to see that security tape now. This wait was going to test her patience.

"Kate?" Kate turns to the sound of Alexis.

"He said he'd make a call, but… He's got a few meetings this afternoon, plus he doesn't think he'll be able to do anything anyway. He pulled a lot of strings so my Dad could stay at the precinct for as long as he has. He said your new captain isn't as prone to his way of thinking as Montgomery was. But he'd phone as soon as he could. What are we going to do in the meantime?" A tear falls down Alexis' cheek and Kate's heart aches.

"We wait for Ryan; see what he has for us. Then we work from there. I'll speak to Gates myself when the time comes."

"Alexis? Oh my goodness. What on earth is going on?" All heads turn to see Martha paused in the doorway looking around the room, trying to understand what is going on.

"Grams!" Alexis rushes towards Martha, throwing her arms around her neck, seeking comfort from the woman who was family, who truly understood what her father meant to her.

Kate hesitates, wanting to give them both a moment together. Martha lifts her head, and Kate can see the tears in her eyes. She knew the woman was trying to be strong for Alexis, but she knew she needed someone to be there for her too. Kate and Martha lock eyes, and Kate promises her in that moment, that she was there for her, for all of them.

"He's going to be fine Martha. I'm going to make sure of it." Kate says fiercely believing in nothing else.

"I'm sure you will darling. The best Detective in New York is on the case, I have every faith." Kate just offers Martha a small smile and then turns to Esposito.

"I need to call Gates don't I." Beckett sighs.

"It's your call, but why don't you wait till Lanie and Ryan tell us what they have before we get took of the case. That's what Gate's will do, she's all protocol, she wouldn't let you work your own case, she's not going to let you work your Partners."

"You're right. We do this together, but Gate's is going to find out what's going on. The Mayor is phoning her to back our corner, so we need to find out all we can before she limits us to what we can do. We need to get as many leads as we can, we don't have a lot of time." Kate walks towards Rick's office, to his smart board. She touches the screen and it comes alive, she clicks on a tab and stares at the screen.

**Richard CASTLE.**

_MISSING_

4am-8am **4 HOUR WINDOW**. What happened in that time frame?

WHO TOOK HIM? MYSTERY CALLER? THE DRAGON? PYSCHOTIC FAN?

Unknown blood smear on front door. WHO'S BLOOD?

Was working on a cold case recently, any CONNECTION?

No messages. No ransom calls. Does HE KNOW his ABDUCTOR?

She taps on the screen some more and adds something to it.

Cole MADDOX. Hit man of Partner. Found dead FOUR BLOCKS AWAY within missing hours. Any connection?

She looks over the screen and something hits her, she runs out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Damn it!" Kate throws the pan with the bacon in across the top of the island and onto the floor. There are gasps and shocked looks aimed towards her from everyone, but Kate didn't care at the moment. She'd frozen. When she initially walked out and saw the blood smear earlier she had froze, waited for help, waited around like a helpless girlfriend. She was a cop. A god damn Detective! She should've been dressed and out that door chasing him.

"15 minutes! That's how long it takes for bacon to burn like it did. 15 minutes! I missed him by 15 minutes!" Kate curses and looks at her hand, it was bleeding. Great! Another thing to add to the pile of things she's fucked up recently.

No more. She was one of the highest ranking Detective's for a reason. It was time she proved herself!

**tbc...**

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hopefully another update tomorrow after I rework the next chapters I'd already planned out. Thanks for reading :) x


	5. Chapter 5

hi all thanks again for the continued support of this fic it means alot :) sorry for the delay in update life sort of got in the way.. im back now and heres a quick update :) x

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_previously..._

_"Damn it!" Kate throws the pan with the bacon in across the top onto the floor. There are gasps and shocked looks aimed towards her, but Kate didn't care at the moment. She'd frozen. When she initially walked out and saw the blood smear she'd froze, waited for help, waited around like a helpless girlfriend. She was a cop. A god damn Detective! She should've been dressed and out that door chasing him._

_"15 minutes! That's how long it takes for bacon to burn like it did. 15 minutes! I missed him by 15 minutes!" Kate curses and looks at her hand, it was bleeding. Great! Another thing to add to the pile of things she's fucked up._

Ryan arrived a few minutes later, but unfortunately for them the security was a bust, all that appeared was static. Whoever took Castle must have jammed the feed somehow. This did nothing to help Kate's mood.

"Damn it, that was our only lead!" Kate runs a hand through her hair, which had now come loose through the constant threading from her restlessness.

"Maybe not. It's Lanie." Esposito answers his phone putting it on speaker. "You're on speaker Lanie." Everyone were huddled around the couch some sitting, some standing, all listening to the phone, praying that it brought good news.

"I gotta be quick they need me to assist on Maddox's body. I'll let you know what I find on that later. For now, I got the results of the blood sample from the door. It's Castle." Everyone's breaths skip a beat. "But it's not our Castle. It's Castle senior, guess Daddy decided to drop by for a little play date."

This news did nothing to reassure the people listening to the call, it only added to the confusion.

"Are you sure it's his father?" Kate asks.

"I'm sure. The blood wasn't a match to Castle's sample, but I was able to run a comparison against the system, and it came up with an unknown that was a match for DNA found on a few cold cases. I was able to determine that the blood on the door is that of Castle's father. That's all I can tell you, I gotta go. Let me know what you find out okay." Lanie ends the call leaving her friends with even more questions than before, but luckily for them they had someone there who could answer them.

"Who's Castle's father?" Kate demands of Martha, who looks away in shame.

"Grams? Do you know who he is? Who took my Dad, my grandfather?" It was Alexis who got Martha's attention.

"I prayed this day would never come." Martha covers her face.

"What do you mean, it would never come? You knew something like this would happen?" Kate asks with a little anger rising.

"It was so long ago, nothing had ever come of it. I thought we were okay." Tears well up in Martha's eyes, this was a difficult conversation and a sensitive memory.

"Grams who is he, who's my Grandfather?" Alexis holds Martha's hands, Kate stays quiet knowing that Alexis will uncover the truth quicker.

Martha takes a deep breath, this day was always in the back of her mind, always a day she feared happening. Now it was here, and she had to tell the people she loved what she had done.

"He was so charming, so confident, but I knew it was going to end in tears from the moment I laid eyes on him. He just had this… this mystery to him, everyone around him wanted to know him." Martha pauses a moment, remembering the moment as clear as if it was yesterday. Everyone was quiet, hanging on to Martha's words.

"There was this electricity between us right from the start; we couldn't fight it any more than we could stop our lungs from wanting oxygen. The nights we shared…" Martha sighs reminiscing. Alexis cringes but can't stop listening to the story about her Grandfather. "Our affair lasted three months, and in all that time all that I had found out about him, was his name."

Everyone was sat tensely awaiting the reveal, it was like listening to Rick read one of his book, awaiting the big reveal of the killer. In this instance, it was Castle's father.

Kate thought it so strange, finding out who Castle's father was and not having Castle here to discover it too. Although wherever he was, he was with his father, therefore he was probably finding it out himself too.

Martha plays with the ring on her finger nervously; she looks up at the faces looking at her expectantly. She held all the answers; she was the key into helping find her son. Yet why was she having so much trouble revealing the truth. She wanted Richard to be found safe right? But in finding Richard, she must find his father too. Was she ready to face him after all these years? To find Richard it was a difficulty she was willing to endure.

"Wherever Richard is, no harm will come to him if he is with his father." Martha attempts to reassure those around her while avoiding revealing the details of Castle's parentage for a little longer.

"How can you be so sure? That blood stain on the door tells me otherwise. It tells me that he's trouble. How can Castle be safe with him if his father is in trouble himself?" Kate asks the question the other Detectives were worrying over. How can any of this be okay? Castle is missing.

"I know because the day I found out I was pregnant Richard's father promised me that he would do all he could to protect us. That he would make sure we lived a prosperous life." Martha swipes at a deviant tear that had escaped from her eye. Martha releases a weary breath. "The only trouble was he wouldn't be around to share it with us. Our relationship was to be kept a secret; no one was to ever know who Richard's father was. That's the way it was supposed to be."

"Who is he Martha? Who's Rick's father?" Kate needs to know now she was tired of listening to the tales she didn't care for them. She needed the facts, so she could have a place to start. She needed somewhere to start, or what was she going to do to find Rick? Kate sits forward her eyes wide awaiting the answers to one of the mysteries surrounding Rick Castle. Who was his father?

tbc...

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any comments or questions please leave a review :) thanks for reading xx


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, sorry its been a while life has been pretty hectic, finally got the chance to finish this chapter... at 1.35 am... its now 2.25am and I am publishing it just because I wanted you guys to have the update :) Thanks for being awesome readers x

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_Previously..._  
_"Who is he Martha? Who's Rick's father?" Kate needs to know now she was tired of listening to the tales she didn't care for them. She needed the facts, so she could have a place to start. She needed somewhere to start, or what was she going to do to find Rick? Kate sits forward her eyes wide awaiting the answers to one of the mysteries surrounding Rick Castle. Who was his father?_

_"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt _

Castle never believed his dreams would come true, had stopped hoping, planning for a future with Kate, because he thought that she didn't love him. A future with Kate was out of the question. Until last night, until the moment Kate stood before him and bared her soul; her eyes never leaving his, telling him that she wanted him. _Kate_ _wanted_ _him!_ As Castle's eyes roam over Kate's naked body lying on top of his own, her hair cascaded over his chest and right arm, he's still mesmerized by last night's events. Still can't believe that he was finally allowed to show her how much he loved her, and she never shied away, she showed him how much she cared too. That still amazed him. All his doubts, most of them anyway were destroyed by her love, by her touch, and her tender looks.

Castle smiles as he threads his fingers through Kate's hair, happy, beyond happy that he can finally do this. He moves her hair from her face, so that he can see her. He is surprised by the look on her face; contentment.

Castle tentatively traces his fingers along her cheek bones, under her left eye and the lone freckle that is there. Kate leans into his touch, he removes his hand, scared of waking her. She looked so peaceful, he wanted her to rest, and from the bruises he could see forming on her neck and body, her body could do with the rest.

Carefully slipping from under Kate and gently placing her onto his pillow, he watches as she snuggles into the warmth he'd just left, waiting, making sure she didn't wake. Satisfied that she wasn't going to wake Castle made his way to his dresser and took out some clean boxers and sweat pants, he also grabbed another pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt and placed them on the chair in the corner just in case Kate wanted to wear them when she woke, he wasn't sure how comfortable she would be around him this morning. Even after everything they had done last night, sometimes the morning after it can be awkward, he hoped that wouldn't be the case with them. They didn't need another hurdle thrown their way, they were finally on the same page, he hoped they were at least.

Before exiting the room completely Castle can't help but snap a picture of Kate on his phone, Kate would kill him if she knew he was taking a picture of her asleep in his bed. Or would she? He didn't know exactly how they were going to be with each other now, would they still be them? Castle smirked as he closed his phone, it would be fun seeing how long it took her to find the picture.

Castle grabbed a piece of paper of his dresser smirking at the mess around it only now real acknowledging it, he would leave the mess so Kate could see it too. Writing a quick message to Kate, he can't help but tease her about last night's activities, he then places it on the pile of clothes on the chair he had left for her and with one last look towards Kate as he stands in his doorway, he turns exiting his bedroom and towards the kitchen. Thank you for last night pancakes and bacon and eggs, and waffles were in order.

Half way through making the bacon Castle remembers the coffee, he turns around to start it when he here's a bang on his door. He immediately looks to his room checking that the noise hadn't woken Kate; he wanted to surprise her with breakfast in bed. Castle leaves the coffee, hearing another bang he quickly makes his way towards the door not wanting Kate to wake up.

What Castle saw when he opened the door, who he saw, and the condition they were in had him stepping back in surprise and wanting to slam the door shut.

"Mr. Castle. Rick, I need your help." The voice speaks, although not as strong as it normally sounds.

"You. What are you doing here? What happened to you?" Castle asks in an angry whisper.

"I need you to come with me now." Castle is shocked to find a gun now raised towards him, although by the look of the man in front of him, he could barely lift his right arm for the bullet that he had took, he would be able to take the gun from him if he acted quickly. Yet as he looked into the man's eyes he could understand the emotion he felt, the obligation he felt to the man.

Castle sighed, he couldn't leave Kate, yet he couldn't risk any harm coming to her, going with him would surely ensure her safety.

"Mr. Smith, I hate that name, I keep expecting Laurence Fishburne to appear and offer me a red or blue pill. Is there anything else I can call you?" Castle waits, although he didn't expect an answer.

"Malcolm, or Mal if you want. Now get a coat and some shoes and lets go, we don't have much time." Mal stumbles back and takes a shaky breath.

Castle didn't want to know the answer to his next question, but after grabbing a coat and starting to slip on his shoes he can't stop himself from asking. "Time for what?" He stands, ready now and facing Mal as he answers.

"To save my life."

Yeah he wasn't ready for that answer or the arm reaching out for him. Castle turns his head, looking back into his home, when would he next see it. When would he see Kate again, Castle felt his heart slow, and his stomach tighten, as the door to his loft closed and he put Mal's arm around his shoulders to help him walk. The sinking feeling wouldn't leave him, he was berating himself already, and he wasn't even out of his building yet. He couldn't stop imagining Kate waking up any moment and her worry and hurt over him not being there, and then that hurt turning into hate. He knew what was going to happen now that he had willingly left her again. Kate was going to hate him.

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ok guys.. i should have an update by the end of the week because them I'm going away for the weekend to London for the Queens Jubilee and won't be in any state to write :p please leave a review and let me know what you think i really appreciate your comments, and alerts :) i hope the characters don't seem too ooc i try to stay as close to their characteristics as i can. again thanks for reading x


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone sorry for the delay.. London was mad! had a fab, drunken time haha... took a while to update this but hope ppl are still following this :)

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_Previously:_

_"Mr. Castle. Rick, I need your help." The voice speaks, although not as strong as it normally sounds._

_"You. What are you doing here? What happened to you?" Castle asks in an angry whisper._

_"I need you to come with me now." Castle is shocked to find a gun now raised towards him, although by the look of the man in front of him, he could barely lift his right arm for the bullet that he had took, he would be able to take the gun from him if he acted quickly. Yet as he looked into the man's eyes he could understand the emotion he felt, the obligation he felt to the man._

_Castle sighed, he couldn't leave Kate, yet he couldn't risk any harm coming to her, going with him would surely ensure her safety._

_"Mr. Smith, I hate that name, I keep expecting Laurence Fishburne to appear and offer me a red or blue pill. Is there anything else I can call you?" Castle waits, although he didn't expect an answer._

_"Malcolm, or Mal if you want. Now get a coat and some shoes and lets go, we don't have much time." Mal stumbles back and takes a shaky breath._

_Castle didn't want to know the answer to his next question, but after grabbing a coat and starting to slip on his shoes he can't stop himself from asking. "Time for what?" He stands, ready now and facing Mal as he answers._

_"To save my life."_

_Yeah he wasn't ready for that answer or the arm reaching out for him. Castle turns his head, looking back into his home, when would he next see it. When would he see Kate again, Castle felt his heart slow, and his stomach tighten, as the door to his loft closed and he put Mal's arm around his shoulders to help him walk. The sinking feeling wouldn't leave him, he was berating himself already, and he wasn't even out of his building yet. He couldn't stop imagining Kate waking up any moment and her worry and hurt over him not being there, and then that hurt turning into hate. He knew what was going to happen now that he had willingly left her again. Kate was going to hate him._

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_"How could you do this?"_

_"Was the only way."_

_"There's no going back."_

_"For either of us."_

_"This wasn't the plan."_

_"Plan's changed."_

Blackness and hushed voices awaken Castle, he's in between two states, between awake and a dream, he couldn't tell which was the real one.

_"You've put the whole plan in to jeopardy."_

_"My life was at stake."_

_"Hospital."_

_"My son. Only way."_

_"Fix this."_

Those were the last words Castle heard before the darkness took over.

A loud knock drew everyone's attention to the door. Kate stands and begins the short, but long walk to the door, as she opens the door she is surprised by the face that greets her.

"Detective Beckett, may I have a word with you."

"Captain Gates? What are you doing here?" Kate asks surprised, she was the last person she expected to find here.

"I have news on Castle that you need to know."

"Castle? How do you know he's missing?" Kate asks alarmed.

"The same reason I know the person who took him." Gates takes a deep breath. "May I come inside, the information I'm about to tell you needs to be discreet." Gates stands solemn. Kate looks behind her to her friends and family all needing the same answers she needs herself. Kate steps back and allows Gates into the room. As she shuts the door Kate turns on Gates angrily.

"Answers now!"

"In time Kate." Gate's calm exterior unnerves Kate.

"What do you know about Rick? What do you know about what's happening here?"

"I wasn't sent to your precinct by choice Kate. It was already decided. I was there to make sure everything stayed in line."

Kate turns to her friends, she couldn't look at Gate's right now, otherwise physical violence would occur.

"Keep things in line. Keep us in line! How dare you come here and talk to me, talk to us, like this is nothing! Like we've failed you! When, you're the one, that's been lying from the start." Kate takes a step back, wanting to put some distance between her and Gates.

"Kate, this is bigger than you realize." Gates starts, but Kate cuts her off.

"So everyone keeps telling me. But no one tells me anything!"

"That's going to change." Gates' gestures to the couch. "You may want to sit for this." Kate begrudgingly sits on the couch, Alexis and Martha beside her, Esposito and Ryan stood either side of the couch protectively.

"I have information on Castle."

Alexis clutches Kate's hand, Kate returns the strong hold.

"He's safe. Just wait. Here's his phone, he left you a message on there, I think you may want to watch that in private. He'll come home to you Kate, Alexis, but not before this thing ends. My boss has the upper hand now. It's our chance to make them hurt."

"Your boss? The chief. No it can't be. Who are you working for? We need to know what's happening." Kate stands, moving closer to Gates trying to be threatening.

"Kate. I respect your passion, but this is beyond you and your friends. Let us finish this. You stay here with your family and friends and wait for Castel to come home to you when it's all over."

"When it's all over, you're talking like Castle can't return to this thing is done. I've been chasing this thing for 13 years, I can't wait anymore, I can't lose him for that long."

"You won't. Wait here. I'll contact you with updates soon. Don't leave this building unless I tell you to. All your lives depend on it." Gates backs away, and makes her way to the door, she grips the handle, looks towards the door.

"Clear the blood on this door Kate; you don't want any more attention drawn to you than there already is." Kate numbly nods, watching as Gates leaves. Leaving her and her family and friends even more confused than before.

_"Rick? Can you hear me?"_ A pause. _"I'm sorry."_

_"You saved my life."_

_"Will fix this."_

_"Wish things. Different."_ It's still darkness that greets Castle as he slowly comes to consciousness.

_"Sacrifice."_

_"Never wanted to."_

_"Had to."_

_"Price to pay."_

_"To end this."_

_"Mal. Time to go."_ Another voice. A woman. She sounds familiar, but he can't quite place it beyond the haze that is forming. The familiarity fades to black again, his eyes falling closed. Castle wishes that his family was okay. He prayed that they weren't too worried about him, that they focused on the case at hand. The blood on the door would lead them to Smith, would lead them to him. Castle had every faith in Kate; he knew she would find him. He just hoped he was alive when she did.

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Hope you all enjoyed that will try to update soon :) let me know what you think all comments appreciated :)thanks for reading x

A/N What Castle hears is in italics. I've done it in italics because its not all in parts of conversation :)


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